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Journalist targeted by police in alleged murder plot

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(Freedom Forum/IFEX) - Freedom Forum is shocked to learn about a plot being allegedly hatched by Sub-Inspector of Police Manoj Poudel, to kill journalist Abadhes Kumar Jha. Jha is a reporter with the Kantipur and the Kathmandu Post dailies from Sunsari, a district in the southern plain of the eastern part of Nepal. The murder plot came to light on 21 July 2012.

Journalist Jha told Freedom Forum that he received an audio clip of a conversation involving SI Poudel. In the recording, the sub-inspector can be heard ordering some unknown persons to attack the journalist and break his hands and legs.

The sub-inspector used the local Maithili language in the conversation. He is heard saying that he would be retiring within a week and wanted to finish off Jha.

When questioned about any animosity with SI Poudel, journalist Jha said, "I had written a news story about a stolen motorcycle being used by SI Poudel last year. Since then, he has been talking with his friends about attacking me and threatening me."

Freedom Forum notes that it is grave and condemnable that SI Poudel, who himself is a member of the police administration, a state body responsible for providing security, posed this serious challenge to a journalist's life. It is noteworthy that a state official tasked with protecting citizens from risk is showing hostility towards a journalist merely for informing the public about certain malpractices.

Therefore, this is not only a case of press freedom violation but also of a violation of the right to life.

Freedom Forum strongly urges the District Police Office, Inaruwa, to bring to book SI Poudel following a thorough investigation into the incident.

Freedom Forum monitored FoE during the elections as it concerns citizens' freedom of expression through the ballot box. Therefore, any action creating an unfavourable atmosphere for the elections is also a violation of freedom of expression.

This report presents the outcome of an assessment of women's participation in the Nepali print media as news source, news actors and news reporters identified in bylines. Women's participation is still meager vis a vis Nepali media content

Freedom Forum has issued a review of Nepal's National Mass Communications Policy 2016. Among others, FF says the policy fails to articulate constitutional provisions relating to freedom of expression and mass communication. The policy, they said, also seems to promote centralided regulation, instead of self-regulation.

Freedom Forum observed a relatively peaceful atmosphere for the media this year (2016) with a significant decline in the number of press freedom violations. FF recorded only 25 incidents of press freedom violations during 2016 versus 83 in 2015.

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(*The As the world is marking World Press Freedom Day today (May 3, 2015), Nepali media is grief-stricken, mourning over the deaths of thousands of Nepalis with slim hopes of finding anyone alive nine days after the destructive earthquake. Freedom Forum normally marks this day with the production of a report on press freedom across the country and other programs. But, this time, this report on 'media in a disaster' is unavoidable.

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